Well, it's not as easy as you make it out to be. I think in finance there might be a fine line between dressing well and dressing too well, especially as a junior person. But I don't want to go out and specifically buy very low quality or ill-fitting clothes, when I like what I have already. So, I guess I was asking if wearing a MTM suit and a Brioni tie would be fine.

The thing you want to avoid in finance as a junior person is wearing things that stand out. So don't wear suspenders, tie clips, contrast-collar shirts, super-detailed shoes, etc.. A conservative navy suit with a blue or white shirt, conservative tie and black cap-toes is exactly what you should be wearing.

Other things to consider are the brand of tie. I have not experienced first hand but have heard stories of people who go around flipping their co-workers' ties over to see the brand. You are supposed to be wearing the right brand for your level. Since you are a junior person, you don't need anything too expensive ($50 range should be fine). Apparently you get Ferragamo ties when you move up a level, and then on to Hermes.

I just saw that you are in London. The stuff above about the ties is from a US perspective. I think shirt quality is a higher focus in the UK than tie brand/quality.

Well, it's not as easy as you make it out to be. I think in finance there might be a fine line between dressing well and dressing too well, especially as a junior person. But I don't want to go out and specifically buy very low quality or ill-fitting clothes, when I like what I have already. So, I guess I was asking if wearing a MTM suit and a Brioni tie would be fine.

no one is going to look at your suit or tie label.

Don't wear outlandish or overly dandy shit and no one will care.

Not to mention, your mtm suit will be a rumpled mess after your first all nighter making pitch books, and your tie will be a solid 3 inches from your neck.

The thing you want to avoid in finance as a junior person is wearing things that stand out. So don't wear suspenders, tie clips, contrast-collar shirts, super-detailed shoes, etc.. A conservative navy suit with a blue or white shirt, conservative tie and black cap-toes is exactly what you should be wearing.

Other things to consider are the brand of tie. I have not experienced first hand but have heard stories of people who go around flipping their co-workers' ties over to see the brand. You are supposed to be wearing the right brand for your level. Since you are a junior person, you don't need anything too expensive ($50 range should be fine). Apparently you get Ferragamo ties when you move up a level, and then on to Hermes.

I just saw that you are in London. The stuff above about the ties is from a US perspective. I think shirt quality is a higher focus in the UK than tie brand/quality.

Actually, this is rather interesting to me. I have a friend who works at Goldman in NYC, and I once casually asked whether he'd frown upon associates (or whatever they're called) pulling on a DB suit (which I believe is not the norm in the US). He told me verbatim that 'I don't give an f what they wear'. Of course, in an interview, one would dress conservatively, but suspenders, tie-clips, contrast-collar shirts don't seem that out-modish to me. Heck, without suspenders, how else do you keep your trousers up, and be comfortable in them after a meal at BLT Prime or Keens?

And people go around flipping each others ties to see the brand, supposedly in an attempt to ensure one wears the right brand commensurate with their experience? That sounds beyond the pale.

Actually, this is rather interesting to me. I have a friend who works at Goldman in NYC, and I once casually asked whether he'd frown upon associates (or whatever they're called) pulling on a DB suit (which I believe is not the norm in the US). He told me verbatim that 'I don't give an f what they wear'. Of course, in an interview, one would dress conservatively, but suspenders, tie-clips, contrast-collar shirts don't seem that out-modish to me. Heck, without suspenders, how else do you keep your trousers up, and be comfortable in them after a meal at BLT Prime or Keens?

And people go around flipping each others ties to see the brand, supposedly in an attempt to ensure one wears the right brand commensurate with their experience? That sounds beyond the pale.

I see the people that walk into 200 west street every morning. Aside from the eccentric older MD, you wouldn't find a DB among the lot of them. Similarly, you would be hard pressed to find anything but gucci bit loafers.

Bottom line, unless you are absolutely brilliant as an employee, you will probably be asked what the hell you are wearing. A DB would raise eyebrows

There are lots of bankers that wear double breasted suits and I wouldn't say that Gucci horsebit loafers are the norm. There is a pretty wide range of jobs that once can perform at an investment bank. If you are a banker, you should take your cues from the clients that you serve. What might be appropriate for a banker in the tech sector might not be the same for one in the insurance sector. And if you work on a trading desk, no one will care what you wear. For your first day on the job, it is hard to go wrong with a blue or mid to dark grey suit, blue shirt and blue or burgundy tie.
A

Well, it's not as easy as you make it out to be. I think in finance there might be a fine line between dressing well and dressing too well, especially as a junior person. But I don't want to go out and specifically buy very low quality or ill-fitting clothes, when I like what I have already. So, I guess I was asking if wearing a MTM suit and a Brioni tie would be fine.

In my experience in finance, there certainly is a line. Nobody is going to bat an eye at:

1. A single breasted suit in navy or dark grey (with or without pinstripes) that fits you well, whether it be MTM or off the rack.
2. A well fitted white or blue solid dress shirt, or blue and white striped.
3. A nice tie unless it is extremely loud and calls attention to itself.
4. Conservative black dress shoes. I wouldn't wear the Gucci loafers on day one.

You can wear nice stuff, just don't get too eccentric. In fact, people expect their employees to look good and presentable. I'd avoid suspenders, especially if you are going to be spending a lot of time with your jacket off. Stick with basic white and blue shirts for the first few days and then start to check out what other people at your level wear. Once you're established and people know you're good at your job, they'll care less, but you don't want to be identified by your clothes when you're starting out. Good luck with the job.

There are lots of bankers that wear double breasted suits and I wouldn't say that Gucci horsebit loafers are the norm. There is a pretty wide range of jobs that once can perform at an investment bank. If you are a banker, you should take your cues from the clients that you serve. What might be appropriate for a banker in the tech sector might not be the same for one in the insurance sector. And if you work on a trading desk, no one will care what you wear. For your first day on the job, it is hard to go wrong with a blue or mid to dark grey suit, blue shirt and blue or burgundy tie.
A

in NY? most i bank employees wear business casual. The more formal employees wear SB suits. DBs are exceedingly rare. Bit loafers are de rigueur.

First of all, I will congratulate on OP's effort to get into a good finance job in London, it is not easy these days.

In terms of clothes, I believed OP is bright enough to figure out how he should dress for his first day. If I must give a suggestion, I would say wear what you are comfortable with, that usually means the clothes you have in your collection. I am not a fan to wear new stuff to my first day at work, I often feel self-concious about getting my clothes dirty in the first wear, not the best concern in my first day. Since I know myself and very comfortable with classic men's clothing, I have worn Subdued chalkstripe and plain DBs to my interview and first day, and it really doesn't matter as long as you don't come as a dick or moron to your supervisor or co-workers.

I have my experience through Investment Banking and Barrister Chambers in Hong Kong and London.

p.s. there is a consensus that black shoes are more appropriate for business wear, not in Hong Kong.

How would you dress for your first day on the job, when you're meeting all your new coworkers? Arguably this day is more important than the preceding interviews, as you'll be meeting a lot more people.

I'm thinking of wearing either a white or a light blue shirt, the midnight blue tie as pictured, and a MTM navy suitsupply suit on my first day at a large investment bank. Any thoughts?

Hi Monkeyface,

Welcome to the forum.

Your choice of shirts and suit are fine. As others have already said it depends on what area you work in and over the coming days, weeks and months you will observe what your colleagues are wearing and will blend in with your choices.
This forum is an extremely good source of information and I wish I had this as a reference before I started in banking a few years ago

There's no doubting though that first impressions do count so there's nothing wrong with looking sharp, dependable and hard working (which as you may know people can make a judgement on within seconds of meeting you).

As with the tie choice - unless you have lots of $$$$ or you already own one then I'd skip the Brioni tie and go for something less pricey. Not that anyone will flip over your tie to check the label but I guess you should spend according to your means (I'm basing this on assumption that you may be junior so apologies if this isn't the case!)

I'd probably spend more money on a decent pair of shoes over a tie - it's all about having decent shoes, people do notice footwear and to complement the other parts of your attire.

The thing you want to avoid in finance as a junior person is wearing things that stand out. So don't wear suspenders, tie clips, contrast-collar shirts, super-detailed shoes, etc.. A conservative navy suit with a blue or white shirt, conservative tie and black cap-toes is exactly what you should be wearing.

Other things to consider are the brand of tie. I have not experienced first hand but have heard stories of people who go around flipping their co-workers' ties over to see the brand. You are supposed to be wearing the right brand for your level. Since you are a junior person, you don't need anything too expensive ($50 range should be fine). Apparently you get Ferragamo ties when you move up a level, and then on to Hermes.

I just saw that you are in London. The stuff above about the ties is from a US perspective. I think shirt quality is a higher focus in the UK than tie brand/quality.

Thanks for the info. I suspected finance had different "rules", but I never thought people would actually flip over each others ties. I don't agree with it and I would never do it myself, but I'll definitely keep that in mind. No need to offend anyone on my first day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

no one is going to look at your suit or tie label.

Don't wear outlandish or overly dandy shit and no one will care.

Not to mention, your mtm suit will be a rumpled mess after your first all nighter making pitch books, and your tie will be a solid 3 inches from your neck.

IN other words, don't stand out like a douche and do your job.

Thanks for the advice! Luckily I won't be pulling all nighters or making pitchbooks, that's the advantage of working on the trading desk, but I get your point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by archibaldleach

In my experience in finance, there certainly is a line. Nobody is going to bat an eye at:

1. A single breasted suit in navy or dark grey (with or without pinstripes) that fits you well, whether it be MTM or off the rack.
2. A well fitted white or blue solid dress shirt, or blue and white striped.
3. A nice tie unless it is extremely loud and calls attention to itself.
4. Conservative black dress shoes. I wouldn't wear the Gucci loafers on day one.

You can wear nice stuff, just don't get too eccentric. In fact, people expect their employees to look good and presentable. I'd avoid suspenders, especially if you are going to be spending a lot of time with your jacket off. Stick with basic white and blue shirts for the first few days and then start to check out what other people at your level wear. Once you're established and people know you're good at your job, they'll care less, but you don't want to be identified by your clothes when you're starting out. Good luck with the job.

Thank you for the detailed advice! Indeed, you want to be identified by the quality of your work, so I'll definitely stay within the norm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by agjiffy

There are lots of bankers that wear double breasted suits and I wouldn't say that Gucci horsebit loafers are the norm. There is a pretty wide range of jobs that once can perform at an investment bank. If you are a banker, you should take your cues from the clients that you serve. What might be appropriate for a banker in the tech sector might not be the same for one in the insurance sector. And if you work on a trading desk, no one will care what you wear. For your first day on the job, it is hard to go wrong with a blue or mid to dark grey suit, blue shirt and blue or burgundy tie.
A

Thanks, that's what I was thinking, navy suit, light blue shirt and a dark blue tie. Basically as conservative as possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by add911_11

First of all, I will congratulate on OP's effort to get into a good finance job in London, it is not easy these days.

In terms of clothes, I believed OP is bright enough to figure out how he should dress for his first day. If I must give a suggestion, I would say wear what you are comfortable with, that usually means the clothes you have in your collection. I am not a fan to wear new stuff to my first day at work, I often feel self-concious about getting my clothes dirty in the first wear, not the best concern in my first day. Since I know myself and very comfortable with classic men's clothing, I have worn Subdued chalkstripe and plain DBs to my interview and first day, and it really doesn't matter as long as you don't come as a dick or moron to your supervisor or co-workers.

I have my experience through Investment Banking and Barrister Chambers in Hong Kong and London.

p.s. there is a consensus that black shoes are more appropriate for business wear, not in Hong Kong.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! Nevertheless, some advice from more experienced people is always welcome, so thank you for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torsion

Hi Monkeyface,

Welcome to the forum.

Your choice of shirts and suit are fine. As others have already said it depends on what area you work in and over the coming days, weeks and months you will observe what your colleagues are wearing and will blend in with your choices.
This forum is an extremely good source of information and I wish I had this as a reference before I started in banking a few years ago

There's no doubting though that first impressions do count so there's nothing wrong with looking sharp, dependable and hard working (which as you may know people can make a judgement on within seconds of meeting you).

As with the tie choice - unless you have lots of $$$$ or you already own one then I'd skip the Brioni tie and go for something less pricey. Not that anyone will flip over your tie to check the label but I guess you should spend according to your means (I'm basing this on assumption that you may be junior so apologies if this isn't the case!)

I'd probably spend more money on a decent pair of shoes over a tie - it's all about having decent shoes, people do notice footwear and to complement the other parts of your attire.

Yeah, a good first impression can certainly make a difference, so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible (clothing and knowledge/mindset). I already own the tie, I've always wanted to have a couple of nice ties, so I bought them heavily discounted during the winter sales as a sort of present to myself. I do have some black shoes, but I'm looking for another pair. Do you have any recommendations for shoes around $350-400?

I would probably recommend Crockett and Jones for that price range and ease of availability.I know a lot of the guys on this forum have strong opinions and have their favourite brands, perhaps I am also biased as I'm from the UK and since discovering quality footwear have only bought English made shoes but having also tried Church and Cheaney, C&J are certainly ahead in terms of build quality and leather in my humble opinion.
I recently bought a pair of Sandringhams from the Cheaney Imperial line and had high expectations because of the price but was slightly disappointed as I was already comparing it to C&J.Still a decent shoe but not as refined as I would like at that price.Their City line range might be worth a look.
I have also however have a couple of non-English shoes on order (Meermin) after reading about them on here which are well in your price range.Could be more of a risk getting some as ideally you'd want to try them on first before committing to an order and unless you're in Spain or Japan to visit their retail shops it would be tough!Although the guys there def know their lasts and have been very helpful to me in selecting an appropriate size.